Two types of cell wall glycopolymers of different structure were found in the type strains of two species of phytopathogenic bacteria, Clavibacter insidiosus VKM Ac-1402T and Clavibacter nebraskensis VKM Ac-1404T (family Microbacteriaceae, class Actinomycetes). The first type was represented by new, previously undescribed (1→6)-linked β-D-galactofuranans, which in the studied strains differed in the structure of side oligosaccharide chains (the structures are given in the text). The structure of the second glycopolymer, a pyruvate-containing galactomannan, was identical in both strains. The results obtained in this work, together with those published previously, indicate that the presence of the pyruvate-containing galactomannan and galactofuranans (with an identical core structure and different side oligosaccharide substituents) can be considered as a chemotaxonomic trait of the genus Clavibacter, and galactofuranans with di-, tri-, or tetrasaccharide substituents of different composition and structures can serve as chemotaxonomic markers of the species. The data obtained expand our understanding of the structural diversity of natural glycopolymers and structural features of the bacterial cell walls in various taxa and may be of interest for taxonomic studies and the studies aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms of interaction between bacteria and plant cells.

The structures of three cell wall glycopolymers of the phytopathogen Rathayibacter tritici VKM Ac-1603T (family Microbacteriaceae, order Micrococcales, class Actinobacteria) were established by chemical methods and NMR spectroscopy. Polymer 1 is a branched rhamnomannan with the repeating unit →3)-α-[β-D-Xylp-(1→2)]-D-Manp-(1→2)-α-D-Rhap-(1→3)-α-D-Manp-(1→2)-α-D-Rhap-(1→; polymer 2 is a linear rhamnomannan with the repeating unit →2)-α-D-Manp-(1→2)-α-D-Rhap-(1→3)-α-D-Manp-(1→2)-α-D-Rhap-(1→; polymer 3 is a branched teichuronic acid containing monosaccharide residues GlcA, Gal, Man, and Glc at a 1 : 1 : 1 : 5 ratio (see the text for the structures). It has been demonstrated that representatives of four Rathayibacter species studied to date (R. tritici VKM Ac-1603T, R. iranicus VKM Ac-1602 T, R. toxicus VKM Ac-1600 and "Rathayibacter tanaceti" VKM Ac-2596) contain differing patterns of phosphate-free glycopolymers. At the same time, the above Rathayibacter strains have a common property - the presence of rhamnomannans with D-rhamnose. These rhamnomannans may be linear or branched and differing in the positions of glycosidic bonds and side substituents. The presence in the cell wall of rhamnomannans with D-rhamnose may serve as useful chemotaxonomic marker of the genus Rathayibacter.

Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most clinically important nosocomial pathogens. The World Health Organisation refers it to its «critical priority» category to develop new strategies for effective therapy. This microorganism is capable of producing structurally diverse capsular polysaccharides (CPSs), which serve as primary receptors for A. baumannii bacteriophages carrying polysaccharide-depolymerasing enzymes. In this study, eight novel bacterial viruses that specifically infect A. baumannii strains belonging to K2/K93, K32, K37, K44, K48, K87, K89 and K116 capsular types were isolated and characterized. The overall genomic architecture demonstrated that these viruses are representatives of the Friunavirus genus of the family Autographiviridae The linear double-stranded DNA phage genomes of 41,105-42,402 bp share high nucleotide sequence identity, except for genes encoding structural depolymerases or tailspikes which determine the host specificity. Deletion mutants lacking N-terminal domains of tailspike proteins were cloned, expressed and purified. The structurally defined CPSs of the phage bacterial hosts were cleaved with the specific recombinant depolymerases, and the resultant oligosaccharides that corresponded to monomers or/and dimers of the CPS repeats (K-units) were isolated. Structures of the derived oligosaccharides were established by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The data obtained showed that all depolymerases studied were glycosidases that cleave specifically the A. baumannii CPSs by the hydrolytic mechanism, in most cases, by the linkage between the K-units.IMPORTANCE Acinetobacter baumannii, a nonfermentative, Gram-negative, aerobic bacterium, is one of the most significant nosocomial pathogens. The pathogenicity of A. baumannii is based on the cooperative action of many factors, one of them being the production of capsular polysaccharides (CPSs) that surround bacterial cells with a thick protective layer. Polymorphism of the chromosomal capsule loci is responsible for the observed high structural diversity of the CPSs. In this study, we describe eight novel lytic phages which have different tailspike depolymerases (TSDs) determining the interaction of the viruses with corresponding A. baumannii capsular types (K-types). Moreover, we elucidate the structures of oligosaccharide products obtained by cleavage of the CPSs by the recombinant depolymerases. We believe that as the TSDs determine phage specificity, the diversity of their structures should be taken into consideration as selection criteria for inclusion of certain phage candidate to the cocktail designed to control A. baumannii with different K-types.

Helicobacter pylori is an important human pathogen that causes gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and gastric cancer. O-polysaccharides of H. pylori lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are composed of (β1→3)-poly( N -acetyllactosamine) (polyLacNAc) decorated with multiple α-L-fucose residues. In many strains, their terminal LacNAc units are mono- or difucosylated to mimic Lewis X (Le x ) and/or Lewis Y (Le y ) oligosaccharides. The studies in rhesus macaques as a model of human infection by H. pylori showed that this bacterium adapts to the host during colonization by expressing host Lewis antigens. Here, we characterized LPS from H. pylori strains used in the previous study, including the parental J166 strain and the three derivatives (98-149, 98-169, and 98-181) isolated from rhesus macaques after long-term colonization. Chemical and NMR spectroscopic analyses of the LPS showed that the parent strain expressed Le x , Le y , and H type 1 terminal oligosaccharide units. The daughter strains were similar to the parental one in the presence of the same LPS core and fucosylated polyLacNAc chain of the same length but differed in the terminal oligosaccharide units. These were Le x in the isolates 98-149 and 98-169, which corresponded to the Le a phenotype of the host animals, and Le y was found in the 98-181 isolate from the macaque characterized by the Le b phenotype. As Le a and Le b are isomers of Le x and Le y , respectively, the observed correlation confirmed adaptation of the expression of terminal oligosaccharide units in H. pylori strains to the properties of the host gastric mucosa. The 98-181 strain also acquired glucosylation of the polyLacNAc chain and was distinguished by a lower expression of fucosylated internal LacNAc units (internal Le x ) as a result of decoration of polyLacNAc with β-glucopyranose, which may also play a role in the bacterial adaptation.

Aerobic gram-negative bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii has recently become one of the most relevant pathogens associated with hospital-acquired infections worldwide. A. baumannii produces a capsule around the cell, which represents a thick viscous layer of structurally variable capsular polysaccharide (CPS). The capsule protects the bacteria against unfavorable environmental factors and biological systems, including bacteriophages and host immune system. Many A. baumannii phages have structural depolymerases (tailspikes) that specifically recognize and digest bacterial CPS. In this work, we studied the interaction of tailspike proteins of four lytic depolymerase-carrying phages with A. baumannii CPS. Depolymerases of three bacteriophages (Fri1, AS12, and BS46) were identified as specific glycosidases that cleave the CPS of A. baumannii strains 28, 1432, and B05, respectively, by the hydrolytic mechanism. The gp54 depolymerase from bacteriophage AP22 was characterized as a polysaccharide lyase that cleaves the CPS of A. baumannii strain 1053 by β-elimination at hexuronic acid (ManNAcA) residues.

— The data on the structure of O-specific polysaccharides (O-antigens) of all nine known molecular types (potential O-serotypes) of a new type of enterobacteria Escherichia albertii , causative agents of intestinal infections in humans and birds, are presented. The advantages and limitations of structural analysis methods used to determine the structure of E. albertii polysaccharides are discussed. The annotation of genes in gene clusters of biosynthesis of O-antigens of E. albertii was carried out by comparison with the sequences in the available databases. Structural and genetic relationships between O-antigens of E. albertii and closely related species of E. coli are discussed. It was found that, in addition to the O-antigen, E. albertii O9 expresses a mannan of the same structure as the mannan of E. coli O8.

Several types of Escherichia coli O-antigens form highly effective shields protecting the bacterial cell surface and preventing bacteriophages from interacting directly with their secondary (terminal) receptors. However, it is not clear if O-antigens of various types (O-serotypes) differ in their anti-phage protection efficacy. Here, we describe a new E. coli strain, F5, which has an E. coli O28ab-related O-antigen. Although the amount of O-antigen produced by this strain is comparable to that produced by other E. coli strains we tested, it appears to give the cells significantly lower protection against phage attack than other O-antigen types, such as the O-polysaccharide of E. coli F17, which we studied earlier.

From the leaves of Silybum marianum L. were isolated arabinogalactan with molecular weight 38 kDa and pectic substances. The monosaccharide composition of arabinogalactan was represented by β-galactose and α-arabinose in a ratio of 2.6:1.0 and β-galacturonic acid as a minor component. By chemical methods and GC, GC-MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy was established that the arabinogalactan consists of d-galactopyranose residues linked by β-1,6-glycosidic bonds as a main chain, and the side chain was represented by α-arabinose, β-galactose and 4-O-methylglucuronic acid. Pectic substance was found in small amounts. According to NMR data it contains also a branched rhamnogalacturonan.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1134/S0006297918060093.

The structure of О-polysaccharide (О-antigen) of Escherichia coli O95 was established using the analysis of deacylated lipopolysaccharide of E. coli O95 by 2D 1H and 13С NMR spectroscopy. It was found to consist of disaccharide repeating units containing one of each 3-substituted residues of d-fucose and d-threo-pent-2-ulose (xylulose).

Structure of the O-polysaccharide (O-antigen) of Escherichia coli O60 was studied by sugar analysis, partial solvolysis with CF3CO2H, and 1D and 2D 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The O-polysaccharide was found to consist of D-galactose and L-rhamnose. The structure of its branched tetrasaccharide repeating unit was established, which is unique among known bacterial polysaccharide structures.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1134/S0006297916060067.

Structures of the cell wall glycopolymers from two representatives of the genus Rathayibacter were investigated using chemical, NMR spectroscopy, and optical methods. The R. toxicus VKM Ac-1600 strain contains two neutral glycopolymers–a linear rhamnomannan →2)-α-D-Rha p -(1→3)-α-D-Man p -(1→ and a branched polysaccharide containing in the repeating unit the residues of D-Man p , D-Glc p , and L-Rha p in the ratios of 2: 4: 1, respectively (the structure is presented in the text). The “ Rathayibacter tanaceti ” VKM Ac-2596 contains a rhamnomannan that is different from the above-described one by localization of glycosidic bonds on the residues of α-Rha p and α-Man p , i.e. →3)-α-D-Rha p (1→2)-α-D-Man p -(1→. The structures of all identified glycopolymers are described for the first time in actinobacteria. The data obtained make it possible to characterize representatives of the studied actinobacteria more fully and can be used to differentiate Rathayibacter species at the phenotype level.

Gene clusters for biosynthesis of 24 of 34 basic O-antigen forms of Shigella spp. are identical or similar to those of the genetically closely related bacterium Escherichia coli. For 18 of these relatedness was confirmed chemically by elucidation of the O-antigen (O-polysaccharide) structures. In this work, structures of the six remaining O-antigens of E. coli O32, O53, O79, O105, O183 (all related to S. boydii serotypes), and O38 (related to S. dysenteriae type 8) were established using 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. They were found to be identical to the Shigella counterparts, except for the O32- and O38-polysaccharides, which differ in the presence of O-acetyl groups. The structure of the E. coli O105-related O-polysaccharide of S. boydii type 11 proposed earlier is revised. The contents of the O-antigen gene clusters of the related strains of E. coli and Shigella spp. and different mechanisms of O-antigen diversification in these bacteria are discussed in view of the O-polysaccharide structures established. These data illustrate the value of the O-antigen chemistry and genetics for elucidation of evolutionary relationships of bacteria.

O-Polysaccharides (O-antigens) of a number of genetically related Escherichia coli O-serogroups (O17, O44, O73, O77, and O106) and Salmonella enterica O:6,14 possess an identical main chain composed of d-GlcNAc and d-Man residues and differ from each other by the absence or presence of glucose side chains at various positions. Using two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy, we established the structure of the O-polysaccharide of E. coli O106 having two glucose side chains in a hexasaccharide repeating unit.